I first want to start this off with a huge THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all of the sweet and supportive messages that you left me on my moving announcement post! I was honestly blown away by all of the love and kind words that were sent my way. It really means more to me than you will ever know. I love this community we’ve built together, both here and on my Instagram. You ladies (and even men) are the absolute best!
As you all know, yesterday was International Women’s Day. It was so amazing to see my social media feeds flooded with women supporting other women and sharing inspirational messages for one another. I only wish that this was something everyone would continue to do on a daily basis and not just on March 8th.
In an industry that can often be seen as competitive, there is still so much light for all of us to shine. Now more than ever, we need to consistently lift each other up. I receive a lot of messages in my Instagram DMs from up and coming bloggers with several different questions pertaining to the industry. Once I reply, they all say something along the lines of, “Thank you so much for getting back to me! I have reached out to several bloggers before and they have ignored me.”
It’s important to remember that at one point, you were just starting out too. This was a huge reason why I created Behind The Blogging Scenes. I wanted a series that could answer these pressing questions and to share my own personal experiences in the hopes that it could be helpful to someone.
All of this inspired today’s topic. I wanted to share a few ideas below of how we could be more supportive of one another and then wrap this post up with 3 blogs that I think you should be reading, if you aren’t already!
Recommending A Fellow Blogger/Creative
There have been so many times where I have received opportunities that were not a good fit for me. Instead of just turning them down, I have often recommended someone else that I think would be much better for the project. As a quick example, I turned down a campaign because I unfortunately don’t write in Spanish and the brand also conflicted with an exclusivity clause in one of my current contracts. I recommended someone else and provided their info. There’s no guarantee that the brand will choose them for their campaign, but at least now they’re on their radar and have their contact information for future opportunities.
Collaborations
It’s always fun to collab with other creatives in your niche and there’s many ways to go about it too. You could team up for a shoot together or you could simply take one another’s photos instead of hiring professional photographers. You could write a post together for your blogs, film videos for your youtube channels, plan a trip to travel together or even schedule an IG or FB Live chat. I personally loved doing this with my Blogger Edition series because it allowed me to collaborate with 9 different bloggers each time. Collaborations always leave me feeling more creative and inspired.
I personally like this idea and have done it a few times, but definitely want to start doing it more frequently. Some girls have even turned it into a weekly series on their stories. It’s basically like the new form of “Follow Friday” – remember those? I’ve been introduced to a ton of new accounts because of it. There are so many incredible feeds on Instagram, but unfortunately a lot of them go unnoticed or get overlooked. This is a really nice way to shine some light on their creativity. It reminds me of that quote, “If you see something beautiful in someone, speak it.” When you come across a feed that you absolutely love, why not share it with your followers?
Engaging With Each Other
A huge component of growing an online community and showing support is to simply just engage and do it genuinely. Reading captions and leaving comments may seem like a small thing, but it truly goes a long way. I take it as a huge compliment when someone takes the time to read my caption and leave a comment that relates to what I wrote instead of quickly scrolling by. That means a lot, so I try my best to do that for others as often as I can. Leave blog comments too! I admit I need to do this one more. You can’t always be the only one receiving the love. You have to give it too! Isn’t that what support is all about?
Branching Out Of Your Circle
The industry can be very cliquey at times, especially at events. When I first started blogging, I went to almost every single event alone. It was intimidating and sometimes even uncomfortable. I typically only bonded with other girls who went by themselves. It’s normal to have close friends in the industry, but don’t let that stop you from meeting new people and making new friendships. I’m the type that will talk to anyone and I’m friendly with everyone. You can always sit with me! Also – extend event invites! Most of the time you can bring a +1. It’s a great way to connect with someone new and maybe help introduce them to a PR company/brand. I have definitely done this many times!
Referring Other Blogs
It’s always a great feeling when another blogger refers my blog to their readers, so I want to do the same. There are seriously so many incredible women that I follow, so for now I am just going to share 3 blogs that I think you should check out. I’ll share more soon!
This Time Tomorrow by Krystal Bick
I’ve known Krystal for a few years now and read her blog every time that she has a new post, which is pretty much every day. Her writing skills, beautiful imagery, amazing style and consistency keeps me coming back for more. I love that she uses her voice and platform to touch on important (and sometimes even uncomfortable) topics. She’s definitely a favorite and even inspired me to switch up my post layout here on the blog.
Kyrzayda by Kyrzayda Rodriquez
Kyrzayda is one of the strongest women that I know. If you have already been following her journey, then you know that she is currently battling cancer. The fact that she is fighting for her life and still doing what she loves every day speaks volumes to her character and strength. It’s incredibly inspiring when you can truly see someone’s passion shine through their work. She’s continuously styling killer outfits, writing about her struggles and managing her online shop all while going through chemo treatments. She does this all with a smile on her face. She is an inspiration to all.
Sydne has become a good friend of mine over this past year and I’ve always admired the dedication and consistency that she gives to her craft. With tons of great style and beauty tips, beautiful home decor, travel inspiration and all of her amazing videos, there is no lack of creativity on her site. She has a new post just about every day to look forward to. I’ve always felt that I could relate to her and her content. She inspires me to stay consistent and to continue expanding my blog.
What are some of the ways that you show support to other bloggers? Let me know below!
“EMPOWERED women EMPOWER women.” ❤️
I love this post Naty and while I do most of these, I love #1- will definitely do that more regularly.
Networking alone is my biggest challenge though- oh, how I dread it haha!
http://asequinloveaffair.com
Thanks so much love! It’s really such a great way to help someone else out. Networking always made me nervous in the beginning but honestly by going to so many events alone I feel like I became a lot more outgoing over these last 6 years. But I know how you feel lol
I will
Love to be able to speak to you. I’m just now creating my blog and my YouTube channel. I have so many questions and I know you will be able to answer them.
Thank you for sharing. I just want to let you know that I really like your blog.
Thank you Naty! I enjoyed reading this! I have always wanted to start a blog, but find the idea so intimidating… and one of the reasons is the lack of suppor that I sometimes see on social media platforms, but this post gives me hope! Thank you 🙂
This is exactly what I needed to hear thanks